The demand for data centers is expected to double or even triple in the next two years, according to the U.S.

Department of Energy.

U.S.

Senate candidate Andy Barr says coal needs to be the energy that fills the AI boom and the subsequent technology race with China.

Congressman Barr says coal not only has the rare earth elements essential to AI development, but that it's the only existing power source that will allow the U.S.

to keep pace with advancing technology around the world.

There is there is no source of power that can do that.

Like coal, there is no source of power.

Nuclear is in the future, perhaps, but we are decades away from permitting nuclear power plants.

We have the existing infrastructure here.

We have the miners here, we have the energy here.

We have the dispatchable capacity here to actually do the job before nuclear power could ever do what coal can do right now.

Congressman Barr is in a competitive GOP primary to replace retiring U.S.

Senator Mitch McConnell.

He says he's the only Republican candidate who is truly pro coal and claims two of his opponents, Daniel Cameron and Nate Morris, are part of the problem.

One of my, opponents was part of the effort to prematurely retire these coal fired power plants when he was attorney general.

He supported the premature retirement of the Mitchell plant in West Virginia.

He refused to defend the existing coal generation capacity.

And then my other opponent was full throated embracing of the radical climate agenda with, signing the, ESG CEO pledge, embracing the Paris climate accord.

He's worse than the Democrats.

So, when it comes to who is going to actually stand for coal, there's only one candidate for the United States Senate who has a plan.

Some of the policies in Barr's plan include investing in coal fired power plants by expediting permitting processes, and permanently restoring the National Coal Council.